Annual London ceremony honors fallen journalists

After the
din of the day's student protests died down on Fleet
Street, a gathering of a quieter, more somber sort took place. St. Bride's Church, London's so-called church of the press, held its annual
service this Wednesday to commemorate journalists, photographers, cameramen,
and support staff that died in the pursuit of journalism. This year's service
was called "The Price of Freedom."

St. Bride's
rector joined members of the U.K.
media in paying tribute to the dozens of journalists killed over the past year in countries like Mexico, Brazil,
Libya, Pakistan, the Philippines,
and Vietnam.
In a particularly moving speech, British journalist
Mark Austin, of television network ITV, spoke of his time reporting in Somalia, where journalists,
particularly local ones, face acute risks. Local reporter Nasteh Farrah, Austin recalled, was shot on the street
simply because, his colleagues said, "someone didn't like his reporting." Austin also spoke of the guilt
felt by a Western correspondent who is part of a large media organization that offers
him protection in a country where his local colleagues have none.

Few in the
St. Bride's audience personally knew the 38 fallen journalists and support
staff whose names were read aloud, but attended the service simply to respect
their colleagues' work and sacrifices. "These are reporters, not dropping in
for a few days to temporarily cover a story. They're journalists who are
working and living with the constant threat of intimidation, violence, and
murder," Austin
told the crowd. "Journalists who are getting uncomfortably close to the truth.
Despite the dangers, they made a simple decision. They decided it is their job
to try to tell the truth about what is happening in their country."